This invention relates to certain dihydropyridines, specifically to certain 1,4-dihydropyridines having a heterocyclic group in a side chain attached to the 2-position wherein the heterocyclic group is substituted by an aminoalkyl, substituted aminoalkyl or heterocyclylalkyl group, and to pharmaceutical preparations containing such compounds. The compounds have utility as anti-ischaemic and antihypertensive agents.
The compounds of the invention reduce the movement of calcium into the cell and they are thus able to delay or prevent the cardiac contracture which is believed to be caused by an accumulation of intracellular calcium under ischaemic conditions. Excessive calcium influx during ischaemia can have a number of additional adverse effects which would further compromise the ischaemic myocardium. These include less efficient use of oxygen for ATP production, activation of mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation and possibly, promotion of cell necrosis. Thus the compounds are useful in the treatment of prevention of a variety of cardiac conditions, such as angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmias, heart attacks and cardiac hypertrophy. The compounds also have vasodilator activity since they can inhibit calcium influx in cells of vascular tissue and they are thus also useful as antihypertensive agents and for the treatment of coronary vasospasm.
According to the specification of our European Patent Application No. 60674 there are described and claimed a number of dihydropyridine anti-ischaemic and antihypertensive agents wherein the 2-position of the dihydropyridine ring is substituted with certain mono and disubstituted aminoalkoxymethyl groups. Our European Patent application publication No. 100189 describes and claims a related series of compounds wherein the 2-position is substituted with an aromatic heterocyclalkoxymethyl group. We have now discovered a further series of dihydropyridine compounds having valuable therapeutic properties wherein the heterocyclic group present in the chain at the 2-position bears an aminoalkyl, substituted aminoalkyl or a nitrogen containing heterocyclylalkyl group.